One of my favorite times in my job is when I get a minute to talk to candidates at different stages in their career. I have a lot of conversations with candidates in their early career or those who are making a transition out of the military or the federal government, as well as everywhere in between. Some want to join the cleared community, while others want to figure out their second act in the same space.
Resume Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Different career phases come with different resume challenges. But some similarities persist. Here are some of the top resume mistakes and approaches I have seen over the years – and how you can avoid them.
1. Lack of Direction.
It’s almost harder to find a job when you don’t know what you want to do. Employment desperation can creep in for a variety of reasons, but that willingness you feel to take any and all roles doesn’t actually serve you. And your resume suffers without a clear direction. Even if you think that you can take on a variety of different roles, your resume doesn’t need to reflect that. Reorganize your resume for each of those different roles you are applying for so that the recruiter doesn’t have to sift through a sea of information to figure out if you could be a fit. If you think you’ve done this, take a hard look at your resume. When you’re applying to multiple roles that are vastly different than each other, you may need to tighten things up more than you think.
2. Insufficient Prioritization.
Recruiters only have so many hours in each day. Whatever you want the recruiter to see, you need to prioritize that to show up on the first page. Focus less on the length of your resume and more on the placement of key information. It’s fantastic if you are adaptable and driven, but most recruiters will not be looking for those skills on your resume. They are looking to see if you meet the skills that are required for the position. If your resume doesn’t immediately reflect that, the recruiter might miss it. Prioritize what recruiters need to see to get you into an interview, and then show them in person how driven and resourceful you are.
3. In Need of Editing.
No one is perfect. But your resume should be. Review your resume until you can’t stand looking at it anymore. Then ask others to look at it. Load it into something like ChatGPT and ask it to look for any errors. In 2024, anything that you send to a recruiter should be free of errors. There are a lot of tools that will help you iron out any mistakes you’ve made. Submitting an error-free resume is a great way to show that you have attention to detail – no need to tell them this information.
4. Not Removing Irrelevant Work Experience.
While a job requisition may say that you need to be proficient in Microsoft, it probably won’t be a keyword for most jobs. You also don’t need to include accomplishments or work experience from 20 years ago. And if you’re younger in your career, feel free to list a high school or college job that’s not relevant, but keep any information on it to one tiny bullet. Don’t waste space on your resume, and the minute you have more relevant work experience, delete that work. Sometimes it’s hard to let some things go from the resume, but fight the urge to keep anything and everything on the page. I remember in my later twenties being sad when my mentor said that I should remove my five years of telemarketing experience I had in my high school and college years. I thought I was showing how hard I was working and how I was promoted at a young age. At that point in my career, I had an MBA and relevant work experience, and unless I wanted to return to telemarketing, it needed to go. Sometimes we hold on to things on our resume for much longer than we should.
5. Missing Relevant Work Experience.
When faced with two strong resumes, recruiters will follow up with the one that actually has all of the relevant work experience. This is where it’s important to do some research when you’re working on your resume. Check out all the job descriptions employers are posting for the job you want. How are they describing the work? Research what keywords they want (ask a recruiter if you get a chance!), and make sure you have them. If you don’t have that relevant work experience, find a way to go get it. Sometimes there’s a reason why your resume is getting passed over. It’s not because you’re not spectacular. The federal government is very particular that positions on contracts or for civilians are filled with candidates who actually meet the requirements. Make sure your resume reflects your qualifications accurately.
If At First You Don’t Succeed….
Finding a job isn’t an easy task. We all dream of just getting a job without creating and fine tuning our resume. Your network is helpful in creating connections and opening doors, but you will still need that resume. If your resume hasn’t been helping you gain entry, then take some time to make sure you’re not committing any key resume mistakes. You might be one update away from getting a call from a recruiter. Keep at it.
